Chance
“Man, I can’t believe you’re really hittin’ that.”
M.J.’s words shook me right out of the trance I hadn’t even realized I was in, the both of us staring at Londyn from across the room as we waited for Miss. Annie to make her television debut. The interview segment had been recorded much earlier, giving plenty of time to make plans for the watch party we were all attending. But attending the watch party meant being around Londyn without the ability to touch her since we were still keeping things lowkey.
The shit was practically punishment.
We had been at it nonstop, using any free time we both had over the past two weeks to make good on the “opportunity” she had presented. But even with that, I still found myself craving her constantly, wanting more than just the sex she was offering since every time we fucked somehow turned into a conversation that only made her more intriguing.
Dangerous territory.
I mean, I wasn’t supposed to be checkin’ for Londyn at all, let alone fuckin’ her on the regular. But to be legitimately falling for her? That seemed completely out of bounds, especially since it didn’t seem as if Londyn felt anywhere near the same way.
Of course she’d flirt, drop little hints, do things and give looks that maybe spoke louder than she realized. But then she’d always reel it back in, remind me - or herself - that I’d be gone soon, almost as if that was her reasoning for staying at an arm’s distance outside of her house or my hotel suite. And honestly, it probably made the most sense, getting real feelings involved just a disaster waiting to happen.
So instead of letting myself get any more invested in the possibility, I did my best to play it as cool as she was, shrugging when I told M.J., “You don’t have to believe something you aren’t even supposed to know about.”
“But I do know. And now that I’m in the same room as y’all, I’m just waiting for some hot shit to pop off,” he replied with a grin, crossing his arms over his chest as his eyes bounced back and forth between the two of us.
But the truth was, “Nothing is gonna pop off, man. We enjoy each other when we do. And when we’re not on that, we’re not on… anything.”
“So y’all just out here doing the secret lovers thing then, huh?” M.J. asked, his hand under his chin as if he was really trying to figure us out. And maybe I was too, truly fascinated by the way Londyn could go from being all over me to not at all worried about me, not even sneaking a glance my way since I’d been here. But I suppose it was because she was a little more invested in the whole secrecy thing than I was, determined to sell the fact that we weren’t involved to her family as if the shit really mattered.
Still, I respected her wishes, asking M.J., “Why does it need a name?”
He was especially enthusiastic when he replied, “Because everything needs a name, man! How else are we gonna talk about it?”
“Exactly. We’re not,” I answered, laughing at the disappointment that spread over his face in response as Eric approached us.
He wrapped his arms around our shoulders while asking, “Man, why y’all over here all ducked off? Come join the rest of the fam.” Then he led us to where everyone else was congregated; some people standing, others sitting on the couch or floor. But of course, the only available space for the three of us was right next to Londyn.
Just my luck.
I could see the excitement developing on M.J.’s face once he realized it too, his expression damn near glowing as if he just knew whatever “hot shit” he thought about earlier was really going to pop off now. But instead of giving him what he wanted, I sat the furthest away from her, taking a spot on the floor while Eric sat on the couch next to his sister and M.J. squeezed in next to him.
“Why you still got these damn Moesha braids in?” Eric asked her, tugging at one of the braids I had tugged at just last night.
Shit. Don’t think about last night.
Clearly this was going to be harder than I thought. But at least there were enough jokes flying to offer me some relief, Londyn’s eyes tight when she fired back, “Why does your friend look like Jazze Pha in the early 2000s?”
M.J. pretended to be offended with a hand to his chest as Eric patted him on the shoulder and insisted, “That’s when he made all the hits, so that means your pockets are full. It’s a compliment, bruh.” Which only made us all laugh harder.
But of course M.J. wasn’t going down that easily, sitting up so he could reply, “Nah, fuck that. Little Poetic Justice wanna talk shit like I won’t get Chicago over here to set her straight.”
He tossed a hand my way as if I was the “Chicago” he was talking about. And while I wanted to be mad at him for connecting the two of us in front of Eric, I quickly shook my head, holding my hands up as I told them all, “Yo, chill. I ain’t got nothin’ to do with this.”
“Oh you don’t, Mama’s Boy Beckham?” Londyn asked, leaning in with her eyebrow piqued as if she was daring me to roast her ass.
Even still, I wasn’t planning to engage until M.J. said, “Oooh shit. She called you a sassy ass mama’s boy, bruh. You gotta get her back for that.”
I assumed if Londyn was throwing jokes, she knew she’d have to take them too. And she seemed eager to hear what I had to say, her grin full when I finally replied, “Man, if Brandy wanna be down with her little braids, it is what it is.”
“Oh damn. Chance said the boy ain’t yours,” M.J. spewed with an infectious laugh that made us all laugh.
While I was sure Londyn had a comeback of her own, I couldn’t help firing one off myself, telling M.J., “Quit instigating, Smokey Bear. Ol’ “Only you can prevent forest fires” headass.”
Londyn and Eric fell into each other laughing as M.J. remained completely serious, his eyes glancing between us before he said, “Wait a minute. What’s this little tag team shit about?”
I caught his drift way faster than reasonable, my face immediately falling flat as I damn near begged him not to go there. And eventually Londyn caught on to, her laughter subsiding when she said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, M.J.”
Instead of responding to her, he leaned back into the couch and started humming the chorus to “Secret Lovers”, something Londyn was probably too young to even recognize. Or maybe it just hadn’t been played in their house since Eric thankfully hadn’t caught on either, moving on to ask his sister, “Yo, my boy been looking out for you up at the job though?”
“Looking out for me? I’ve been there for years and he’s only been there for weeks. If anything, you should be asking me if I’m looking out for him,” she replied, something I couldn’t dispute since it was the truth.
Eric knew it too, changing his question with a simple, “Well…”
“He knows where the best bathrooms in the building are, what foods to avoid in the cafeteria so he doesn’t get bubble guts, whose emails to ignore and whose are priority, who not to tell his business around…” Londyn listed, all things she had taught me in passing since we rarely saw each other working on different floors. But whenever we did, it was certainly a treat, seeing Londyn in full-on boss mode with the wardrobe to match an experience in itself.
It wasn’t required that we dressed up in true business attire since comfort was a part of the creative process. But Londyn always, always looked good, making the simplest jeans and a blouse look like a damn power suit once she paired it with stilettos and confidence; the thing that made her most attractive. Even though she was only one of the few women - and the youngest - with the company, she strutted around the building like she owned the place, her vibe demanding respect without having to ask for it out loud. And they had no choice but to follow suit, her talent speaking for itself with each project she was a part of.
Even if I couldn’t claim her as mine, I was still proud to know her, to have “remembered her when…”, to be acquainted with who she was outside of the building. But of course, Eric could only see her as his “Little LoLo” when he chuckled and replied, “All shit only you would worry about.”
“The important things,” she corrected with a shrug.
Since they were talking about me, I decided to add my two cents, telling Eric, “Nah, she’s been a big help for real. Helped me get acclimated a little quicker. I’m grateful.”
Londyn tried to hide her grin, but I saw it anyway. And while I wished our little moment could’ve lasted a bit longer, I shouldn’t have been surprised when M.J. interrupted to say, “Nothing like having good help for a smooth transition…”
I averted my eyes and Londyn cleared her throat as Eric glanced between us with confusion. But thankfully we didn’t have to answer to it, Miss. Annie moving to the front of the room to make an announcement before her segment was scheduled to begin.
I should’ve been focusing on her, but the buzz of my phone pulled my attention away, the privacy screen protector I had invested in coming in handy once I saw who the notification was from.
“You’re such a tease. Coming this close to me knowing we can’t do anything about it in front of all these people.” - Londyn
I peeked at her from the corner of my eye and saw she was completely in tune with whatever her mother was saying, almost as if she hadn’t sent a message at all. But then I saw her phone casually resting in her lap, letting me know just how slick she had been about it.
“Eric’s fault. I know you like your space.” - Chance
Once I pressed send, I took another peek, this time noticing the exact moment she had received my text. And I became nervous once I saw the way she smirked just slightly before typing out a quick response.
“Well now I don’t want any space. I want you.” - Londyn
Shit.
Her begging for it always got me locked and loaded, ready for whatever. But since there wasn’t anything we could do about it like she said before, I offered an alternative with my reply.
“Maybe I can come by after this wraps up.” - Chance
This time, I didn’t bother looking at her, checking back in with Miss. Annie’s announcement just as she was thanking everyone for coming. But my eyes didn’t remain there once Londyn quietly excused herself, stepping over my legs on her way out of the room. And the second she disappeared was the same second my phone buzzed with her response.
“No. I want you NOW.” - Londyn
The text had me damn near sweating bullets, scanning the room to see had anybody else noticed. But all eyes were thankfully still on Miss. Annie, giving me a chance to text Londyn back.
“Where’d you go?” - Chance
“Wait ten minutes, then meet me in the upstairs bathroom.” - Londyn
I almost started laughing until I realized how much attention that would’ve drawn. And since I knew both of us going ghost at the same time would’ve looked suspicious as hell, I bit back my laugh as I sent, “Yo, you’re wildin’. You’re gonna miss your mom’s thing.” - Chance
“The thing she’s gonna record for me to watch at every turn? I’ll be fine.” - Londyn
“Damn, she really is serious,” I thought, just that quickly going from “you’re playin’’” to “how could this work” in my head when I asked, “What if somebody comes up there?” - Chance
“There’s a bathroom downstairs. No one will even think to come up here.” - Londyn
Now I was really contemplating the idea, especially with Miss. Annie’s segment beginning meaning everyone’s attention would be there for the meantime. But apparently I was thinking a little too long and hard when my phone buzzed with another message.
“You’re scared, aren’t you? LOL!” - Londyn
She was taunting me, trapping me with one of her little games that she knew got to me every time. But I knew if I went, there wouldn’t be a real loser since getting to that bathroom meant getting exactly what I’d been thinking about since I got here.
Her.
“Man, you really tryna get me caught up. What am I supposed to tell Eric?” - Chance
Using her brother always seemed to be my last line of defense, the only thing standing in the way of me coming for her full force. But in true Londyn fashion, she figured out a way to get right past him with ease when she replied, “I’m about to call your phone. Just tell ‘em you need to take it.” - Londyn
Not even a minute after I read the text, my phone rang with a call from her, the incessant buzzing in my hand coinciding with my heart pounding as I went back and forth on what to do. And while I knew it was risky as hell, I decided it was a risk worth taking when I looked at my phone before telling Eric, “Damn. I gotta take this. I’ll be back, bruh.”
He hardly paid me any mind, giving a nod before his eyes went back to the television. And it almost felt like my ass was a teenager trying to sneak out of the house the way I kept watching over my shoulder before slipping up the stairs to the bathroom, stepping inside and locking the door behind me to find Londyn sitting on the counter with her legs dangling from the edge.
She grinned once she saw it was me, hopping down from the counter then unbuttoning her jeans as she said, “I see my plan worked.”
I was already going for my own button since I figured we didn’t have much time. But just the fact that I was willing to sneak up here for a taste, have a quickie in the same house as both of our families, told me just how hooked she had me when I replied, “Yeah, you always figure out how to get your damn way,”
“Even when it comes to you,” she said with a smirk, stepping out of her jeans and panties before moving to pull mine down for me. Then she hopped back onto the counter, spreading her legs wide with invitation and causing my dick to spring to life the second I saw how glistening wet she already was.
That sight was more than enough for me to tell her, “Especially when it comes to me.”
My response seemed to satisfy her even more as she reached into the mirrored medicine cabinet nearby and pulled out a box of condoms while asking, “Had the show already started?”
“It just did when I left,” I answered, pulling out one I hoped nobody would miss before opening the package to put it on.
But Londyn took it from me to do it herself, the usual marvel when she knew she was about to get some in her eyes as she rolled the condom on slowly and asked, “So we probably have… six-ish minutes? Can you make me cum that fast?”
Once she had it secured, I grabbed her by the ankles, pulling so that her ass was at the edge of the counter then resting them against my shoulders as I replied, “I don’t even need that much. You gotta keep quiet though.”
“Chance, I know how this works,” she said with an arrogant roll of her eyes as if she had any idea what she was getting herself into.
Since I knew I’d soon be proving otherwise, I wasn’t at all fazed, getting myself aligned with her slick opening as I told her, “Nah. You knew how it worked with niggas who weren’t worth getting loud for. Not with me.”
“You’re wasting our time. Make your point,” she replied with the same bravado she’d always start off with; the bravado I loved to wipe right off of her face once I slammed inside of her with a stroke deep enough to make her scream. But with a house full of people a floor below us, she let in a sharp inhale instead, her eyes immediately rolling to the back of her head as she gripped the edge of the counter for leverage.
Her knuckles flushed red the tighter she gripped as I dug my fingers into each side of her, keeping her exactly where I wanted her so that I could hit every single one of her spots. And I could tell I had done exactly that when she tossed her head back and growled, “Fuckkkk…”
“Did I make my point?” I asked, continuing to drive her wild as the sound of our skin smacking together echoed off the bathroom walls. But now that I was deep inside her, I didn’t really care who heard us, my focus completely on making use of every second we had even when she whispered, “Shh...shhh...shhh…” which only made me stroke her harder.
“Chance, please,” she whispered, her eyes pleading with me to give her the orgasm she was chasing.
But before I could make good on the six-minute time frame I had offered, the door knob rattling then a heavy knock stopped me dead in my tracks, especially once it was followed by Eric’s muffled voice yelling, “Yo, LoLo! Open up! I gotta pee!”
“Shit,” I whispered, pulling out and dropping Londyn’s legs on the way as I reached to pull my boxers and pants up.
Instead of rushing in a panic like me, Londyn just sat there watching me, her legs dangling from the counter the same way they had been when I came in. As I worked on the button of my pants, I nodded towards the door as if to silently ask her what I should do. But the shrug she gave me in response did nothing to calm my racing heart, forcing me to pace back and forth to come up with something on my own. And once I did, I released a deep breath, giving her stern eyes that told her to stay where she was before I opened the door and peeked my head through the crack.
Eric’s fist was raised to the door as if he was just getting ready to knock again, but he dropped it once he saw it was me. “Aww shit. My bad, Chance. I thought Londyn was in here. Watch out, nigga.”
I didn’t budge, keeping the door shut tightly around me as I told him, “Nah, bruh. I uhh… I flooded the toilet. You gotta pick another one.”
For whatever reason, that made him laugh. “No wonder your ass was up here. Tried to sneak off so nobody would smell your stinky ass.”
I gave my best fake laugh with him, along with a forced grin when I said, “Riiiiight. Let me handle this though. You know, get it cleaned up and all that.”
He nodded, tossing a hand towards the far side of the hall as he said, “There’s extra towels in the closet if you need ‘em. And if your shit is anything like it used to be, just throw ‘em away when you’re done.”
“I got you. Thanks, E,” I told him, waiting for him to disappear back down the stairs before I finally closed and locked the door behind me. And with my back against the door, I released the breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding, glad to have survived the close call while also trying to figure out why Londyn wasn’t as shook.
In fact, she was completely calm when she hopped down from the counter to say, “That was a good lie, Chance. I’m impressed.” Then she went for the button of my pants, getting ready to undo the work I had just done until I knocked her hands away. An action she seemed shocked by when she asked, “We’re not gonna finish?”
“Londyn, your brother would’ve caught us in the act if I hadn’t locked the door. Hell nah we’re not gonna finish,” I replied, moving past her towards the sink to get myself cleaned up.
She was right behind me, whining through the mirror, “But I’m not done.”
“Well I am. That shit got me soft like putty,” I told her, removing the button she had just tried to so I could get rid of the condom I still had on.
But me unzipping my pants was damn near an invitation to Londyn as she wrapped her arms around me from behind and grabbed my dick, already stroking it back to life as she suggested, “Getting you back hard is not a problem, babe.”
“Babe?” I asked, my eyebrow piqued teasingly at her through the mirror.
“Chance. Your name is Chance,” she corrected, more to herself than me since of course I knew who the hell I was.
Still, that didn’t stop me from teasing her about her little slip, turning around and pulling her close by the hips when I told her, “Babe is kinda cute coming off your lips though.”
“You wish you were babe,” she replied with a smirk just as cute as everything else about her.
A smirk that had me completely caught up as I agreed, “Maybe I do.”
First, her eyes went wide with surprise. Then they softened, almost concerned-like before she pulled away to brush me off. “Boy, shut up. You and I both know what it is, so quit pretending otherwise.”
“What if I’m not pretending?” I asked, leaning against the counter as I waited for her to respond, though I certainly wasn’t expecting the one she gave me.
“Then I’d tell you to refer back to the fuck buddy handbook. Rule number one: don’t catch feelings,” she replied without skipping a beat as she finally started gathering her own discarded clothes.
But I quickly realized it was just a tactic to avoid facing me about it, prompting me to grab her by the arm to stop her so I could have her full attention when I asked, “What if it’s too late?”
Even with my hold on her, she still avoided my eyes when she groaned, “Chance…”
“What, Londyn? What’s wrong with me actually liking you?” I asked, my first time admitting it out loud to the only person who needed to know. But it was the truth no matter how cool I tried to play it, no matter what plans we came into the shit with, no matter how much I wasn’t trying to be attached to anyone or anything.
Her eyebrows shot up as she pushed out, “Nothing. It’s just…”
“You don’t feel the same?” I tried to finish for her.
But she didn’t quite agree, gnawing on her lip before she quietly explained, “I’m not... allowing myself to feel the same. You and I? We could never be. I thought you knew that.”
I did know that, but somehow it still didn’t quite make sense. I mean, I knew I wasn’t imagining our connection, wasn’t imagining the natural vibe we had when it was just the two of us. And even if she had let it slip, that “babe” came from somewhere; probably the same place that wasn’t “allowing” her to feel the same.
“So what the fuck am I doing?” I whispered more to myself than her, realizing just how much the whole thing - she - had me trippin’. I mean, it was one thing for me to start developing real feelings for her. But to have her schooling me on protocol like I didn’t know what it was?
I was really out of my damn mind, and Londyn only made that realization more valid when she replied, “If you were trying to screw me into having feelings for you, I probably could’ve saved you the headache.”
With that, there was really nothing more for me to say without starting an argument that wasn’t worth having. So instead, I stayed quiet, finishing my clean up and checking myself in the mirror to make sure nothing seemed too suspicious before I went to leave the bathroom. But I didn’t get too far when Londyn stopped me with a hand against my wrist to say, “Chance, wait…”
I turned back just slightly to see her over my shoulder and was surprised to see the legitimately concerned expression on her face as she asked, “Are we still cool?”
The smart thing to do would’ve been to stop while I was ahead, drop out while I had the chance, fall back while it still made sense. But for whatever reason, logic got ruled out by egotism when I finally replied, “If cool means will I still fuck you? Then yeah, I guess so.”